Any chance of the Broncos working out a deal with Shanahan may have evaporated Sunday night when the Washington Redskins acquired quarterback Donovan McNabb. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

Not that there was much chance of Mike Shanahan swinging a deal with his old Denver friends, anyway, but Easter Sunday didn’t make it easier on the Broncos or Brandon Marshall in their quest to separate. Any chance of the Broncos working out a deal with Shanahan may have evaporated Sunday night when the Washington Redskins acquired quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Shanahan was the Broncos’ head coach for 14 seasons until he was fired after the 2008 season. He is now getting ready to coach his first season with the Washington Redskins.

To lure McNabb away from their NFC East division rival Philadelphia Eagles, the Redskins parted with their second-round pick, No. 37 overall, in the upcoming NFL draft. That No. 37 pick would have been appropriate compensation for the Broncos as they seek a deal for Marshall. The Redskins also have the No. 4 overall draft pick, but that is widely considered too much compensation for Marshall.

The Seattle Seahawks remain the best bet for Marshall. They have the No. 6 and 14 overall picks in the first round and 60 in the second round. The Seahawks clearly don’t want to part with their No. 6 pick as one month after visiting with Marshall, they have yet to submit an offer sheet to the restricted free agent receiver. The deadline for teams to sign restricted free agents other than their own is April 15.

The Denver Broncos have denied several reports that the team is interested in Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. Pictured here, McNabb throws a pass against the Broncos on Dec. 27, 2009, in Philadelphia. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The “offseason” is all of three days old and already the rumor mills are spinning in overdrive. And it always seems like the Broncos are in the middle of such things given their recent history of offseason theatrics, including the uber-drama that was the Jay Cutler saga last year.

And now there has been a report or two that the Broncos are one of a handful of teams the Philadelphia Eagles have talked to about a potential landing spot for quarterback Donovan McNabb. The Eagles have postured at least some in recent months that they may eventually be in a position to move on from McNabb’s tenure.

Eagles backup Kevin Kolb has said he believes he’s ready to be a starter and the team’s No. 3, Michael Vick, has said publicly he’s ready to start again.

But folks at the Broncos’ Dove Valley complex have used the phrase “no truth” in the last day or two to describe the McNabb rumblings. So unless they are fibbing McNabb isn’t coming to the Broncos with his giant contract in tow — McNabb carries a $5 million salary cap figure in the upcoming season according to
some salary documents and has some bonus money coming as well.

McNabb has also spent his entire career in a West Coast offense, which is not what the Broncos play any more, so the transition on the field would be substantial for McNabb even if the Broncos were considering the move.

Eagles coach Andy Reid has also said McNabb will be the Eagles quarterback in the 2010 season, McNabb said at the Super Bowl he believed he would be the Eagles quarterback for next season as well. Kolb and McNabb are each in the last year of their current deals in 2010.

So the feeling around the league is the Eagles intend to play McNabb this year and move ahead with Kolb as their quarterback of the future unless somebody rocks their socks in some kind of offer for McNabb in the next couple months. Overall, the Broncos are expected to play it low-key in free agency, given the uncertainty of the labor situation around the league

And that it is Vick is the most likely Eagles quarterback to be traded, most likely before the April draft. There are folks in the league right now who say Vick has been assured he will be traded before the draft.

After 14 consecutive games on the game-day inactive list, Broncos’ receiver Brandon Lloyd has put on a uniform for the first time this season. The Broncos are about 45 minutes away from kickoff with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Lloyd, who has 156 career catches in six previous NFL seasons, is replacing the injured Eddie Royal on the Broncos’ game-day roster.

The Broncos’ top three receivers against the Eagles will be Brandon Marshall, Jabar Gaffney and Brandon Stokley. Lloyd and rookie Kenny McKinley, who forgives to return kicks and punts, will provide receiver depth.

The Broncos have signed NFL veteran and former University of Colorado punter Mitch Berger, who replaces Brett Kern.

It appears the Broncos were unhappy with Kern’s inconsistency in directional kicking, plus his tendency to boot long, low-trajectory punts that were ideal for returning.

While Kern was 10th in the NFL with a 46.1-yard gross average, he was 27th with a 34.5-yard net after San Diego’s Darren Sproles returned a punt for a touchdown last Monday night.

Kern also had an NFL-high six touchbacks on only 27 punts this year.

In making their first roster move of the regular season, the Broncos not only changed punters but the holder for kicker Matt Prater.

“We’ll just have to work hard this week and do the best we can,” Prater said. “Mitch has a lot of experience holding so we should be fine. I was sad, though, when I saw Brett pack his bag and leave. We were really close. He was like a brother to me. It’s one of the tough parts about this game.”

The Broncos worked out Berger last week and signed him Monday. This will be his 16th NFL season as a punter and kickoff specialist and the Broncos will be his 12th NFL team, counting the uniforms he wore in the preseason.

He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1999 and 2004.

Born and raised in Canada, Berger punted and kicked off for Bill McCartney’s CU Buffaloes in 1992-93. Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1994, Berger’s long NFL career took him last season to the Pittsburgh Steelers where he wound up punting in Super Bowl XLIII.

He had a good game, too, averaging 46.3 yards on three punts to earn his first Super Bowl ring.

“I’ve had some incredible highs,” Berger told the Denver Post’s Woody Paige during Super Bowl media day in Tampa, Fla. “I’ve had some incredible lows. I’m not finished. I’ll keep punting as long as I can. And when I can’t punt anymore, maybe I can hang on a couple years as a holder.”

Broncos safety Brian Dawkins had surgery to repair a broken right hand, according to several team sources. He is expected to return in two weeks.

In 13 previous seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dawkins was named to 7 Pro Bowls. He became a free agent this offseason and signed a five-year, $17 million deal with a $7.2 million guarantee with the Broncos.

Longtime Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson died Tuesday after a battle with cancer. He was 68 years old.

New Broncos safety Brian Dawkins, who spent the first 13 years of his career playing for the Eagles, just issued a statement about Johnson’s death.

Here is the statement in full, via the Broncos’ PR department.

“This is a sad, sad day for myself and my Philadelphia family. Jim was tailor-made to coach in Philadelphia. He was a tough coach who wasn’t afraid to let you know how he was feeling, but at the same time, he cared about us deeply. He was an absolute blessing to me with the way he used me on the football field and allowed me to show my God-given ability. His confidence in me meant so much—he looked to create new defenses each week to utilize my talents. I have been praying for him every day, and those prayers won’t stop now. I’ll be praying for his family and their comfort during this difficult time.”

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.